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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As many a pop story will tell, most bands tire of themselves eventually, leading either to split or reinvention. Four albums in, Puzzles Like You sees Mojave 3 picking the latter route, and with it twelve years of widescreen alt-country elegy is replaced by a snappy Byrdsian jangle.
Unfortunately most of this new "fun" direction feels a touch dishonest. While the title track is a golden piece of songwriting, Neil Halstead's tired, breathy voice still belongs to the beautifully mournful Mojave 3 of old, and hearing it over relentlessly happy chimes is akin to a long-term depressive insisting that he's fine really.
The initial persistence of cheer extends only to the opening four tracks, and it's only when they revert to previous form for Most Days and Big Star Baby, that Halstead really reminds us how great a songwriter he is. This pair do not simply stand out due to familiarity though: they are simply better-crafted songs, infinitely more tender, subtle and memorable than those which surround it.
There then follows a slew of songs which are competent but little more. Kill The Lights is let down by Halstead's newly unmasked mockney singing voice, whilst To Hold Your Tiny Toes and Just A Boy simply sound ungainly, like a middle-aged man on a Harley-Davidson, trying new tricks which old dogs can't quite master.
Mojave 3's new songwriting tack does not contain the same coming-of-age confidence seen in Belle & Sebastian's recent transformation, but neither is it convincing as a complete change of direction. Instead it sounds like a band who are simply a little bored. They say that the worst thing you can ask to a long-term depressive is whether they're alright. However, "alright" is just about all Puzzles Like You amounts to.
Unfortunately most of this new "fun" direction feels a touch dishonest. While the title track is a golden piece of songwriting, Neil Halstead's tired, breathy voice still belongs to the beautifully mournful Mojave 3 of old, and hearing it over relentlessly happy chimes is akin to a long-term depressive insisting that he's fine really.
The initial persistence of cheer extends only to the opening four tracks, and it's only when they revert to previous form for Most Days and Big Star Baby, that Halstead really reminds us how great a songwriter he is. This pair do not simply stand out due to familiarity though: they are simply better-crafted songs, infinitely more tender, subtle and memorable than those which surround it.
There then follows a slew of songs which are competent but little more. Kill The Lights is let down by Halstead's newly unmasked mockney singing voice, whilst To Hold Your Tiny Toes and Just A Boy simply sound ungainly, like a middle-aged man on a Harley-Davidson, trying new tricks which old dogs can't quite master.
Mojave 3's new songwriting tack does not contain the same coming-of-age confidence seen in Belle & Sebastian's recent transformation, but neither is it convincing as a complete change of direction. Instead it sounds like a band who are simply a little bored. They say that the worst thing you can ask to a long-term depressive is whether they're alright. However, "alright" is just about all Puzzles Like You amounts to.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The Mojaves have pulled out a real summer treat of an album here!
This is certainly their most catchy, hooky and up-beat LP to date.
It complements the other more melancholic albums in their back catalogue beautifully.
Definitely one for the Mojave 3 collection!
This is certainly their most catchy, hooky and up-beat LP to date.
It complements the other more melancholic albums in their back catalogue beautifully.
Definitely one for the Mojave 3 collection!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I've been a fan of Mojave 3 since their first album 'Ask Me Tomorrow' and I very much like their rather 'laid-back' sound. I must admit to being disappointed with the last album and was a little hesitant about buying this one - but overall I'm glad I did.
This is a (relatively) up tempo offering - really quite uplifting overall, and although it looses its way about half way through, it picks up again towards the end. My only real gripe is the sound - which is normally pretty good and understated on their CDs. Most of the songs here are really compressed and limited - I'm not sure why they've done this - the louder the music gets, the more restricted and small it sounds. It seems that everyone wants 'loud' CDs that sound impressive for a few minutes then became rather fatiguing to listen to for more than a few tracks -which is a real shame. I'm giving 4 stars for the songs alone and not the production.
This is a (relatively) up tempo offering - really quite uplifting overall, and although it looses its way about half way through, it picks up again towards the end. My only real gripe is the sound - which is normally pretty good and understated on their CDs. Most of the songs here are really compressed and limited - I'm not sure why they've done this - the louder the music gets, the more restricted and small it sounds. It seems that everyone wants 'loud' CDs that sound impressive for a few minutes then became rather fatiguing to listen to for more than a few tracks -which is a real shame. I'm giving 4 stars for the songs alone and not the production.
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